Jewish Museum of Florida

The Jewish Museum of Florida, located South of Fifth in two historic buildings (connected by Bessie's Bistro), is a unique property. It documents the settlement and continued integration of Jews and Jewish life in Florida since 1763. As a cultural institution, it has established traveling and permanent exhibits, multi-cultural education and public outreach programs, and archived materials that range from matzoh boxes to mah-jong boards. The museum's mission is to teach tolerance in a world of diversity, and its research and collections are used by historians from all over the globe. But the museum avoids being didactic by presenting exhibits with humor (it once built a house from bagels and other Jewish breads), and achieves poignancy with continually donated personal items and photos of historical significance. The public is welcome via regular museum hours, guided docent tours, readings from Jewish authors and other community events.